QUOTES ON SACHIN

Don Bradman: I saw him( Sachin) playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...hi compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel!

Abdul Qadir:
I was fielding in the covers when Tendulkar came out to bat in his debut Test at Karachi. I still remember Waqar Younis was at his peak form at that time. Tendulkar tried to drive Waqar through the covers off his very first ball in Test cricket but was beaten all ends up. But I walked to captain Imran Khan and told him 'this kid looks very good' and Imran agreed with me.

Then came the one-day international at Peshawar, which was reduced due to rain. When Tendulkar came at the crease I told him that not to get bogged down against me and he should try and hit me at all parts of the Arbab Niaz Stadium. It was not that I bowled badly but it was due to his ability that he hit me for I think 24 odd runs in one over.

Then it became a routine for me to chat with young Tendulkar whenever we met in the nets or in the hotel. I used to give him tips how to play spinners and I must admit he was a good listener and always tried to learn. After the home series we went to Sharjah and although Tendulkar didn't score that many runs against my bowling I gave him tips off the field whenever we had time.

Allan Donald:
His shot selection is superb, he just lines you up and can make you look very silly. Everything is right in his technique and judgement. There isn't a fault there. He is also a lovely guy, and over the years I've enjoyed some interesting chats with him… Sachin is in a different class to Lara as a professional cricketer. He is a model cricketer, and despite the intolerable pressures he faces back home, he remains a really nice guy… Sachin is also the best batsman in the world, pulling away from Brain Lara every year…

We'd heard all about him modelling himself on Sunil Gavaskar, and he had the same neatness, the same time to spare, the same calmness - and a very heavy bat.

Anil Kumble:
I am very privileged to have played with him and seen most of the runs that he has scored. I am also extremely happy to have shared the same dressing room... He is a very reserved person and generally keeps to himself. He is very determined, committed and doesn't show too many emotions. He just goes about doing his job.

Barry Richards:
First and foremost, Tendulkar is an entertainer and that for me is as important factor as any fact or figure. Too often boring players have been pushed forward as great by figures alone. For sheer entertainment, he will keep cricket alive.

Bishen Singh Bedi:
The thing I admire most about this man is his poise. The way he moves, elegantly without ever looking out of place in any condition or company, suggests his pedigree. I remember he had once come to New Delhi in the 1990s to collect his Arjuna Award (India's highest award to its top sportspersons) and he asked me if I would attend the function. He is a very sensitive human being….

Sometimes you feel he really hasn't felt the kind of competition in the world his talent deserves. I would have loved to see him perform against top quality cricketers of the previous generation. It would really have brought out the best in him.

Brett Lee:
You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind mid wicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.

Brian Lara:
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.

Clive Lloyd:
He is a tremendous cricketer. He is young and has got a lot of ability. He's got his own style. He has got the temperament for big cricket and I hope that he goes from strength to strength.

David Gower:
For Sachin the balance is there. He is quick to complete his shot. He covers the crease much better than mere mortals.

Dennis Lillee:
If I'm to bowl to Sachin, I will bowl with my helmet on. He hits the ball so hard.

Erapalli Prassana:
In the early years, especially around the mid 90s, I had this feeling you could play around on his ego and get him out. He believed he could attack bowlers at any time and anyone who could bowl maidens to him stood a good chance. Things are of course different now

Graeme Pollock:
Tendulkar is the best in the world at the moment. Why I've always liked him is that batsmen tend to be negative at times and I think batting is not about not getting out - it is to play positively. I think you got to take it to the bowlers and Sachin is one such player. When you do so, you change the game, you change bowlers because they suddenly start bowling badly because they are under pressure.

Greg Chappel:
I'd like to see him go out one day and bat with a stump. I tell you he'd do OK…. I just get the feeling because of his mental strength that Sachin will be definitely the best player of his era and probably the best 2-3 of all time.

Ian Chappel:
Whenever I see Sachin play I am reminded of the Graeme Pollock quote of Cricket being a 'see the ball, hit the ball game.' He hits the ball as if it's there to be hit.

Shane Warne:
I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six... I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player.

Steve Waugh:
You take Don Bradman away and he is next up, I reckon.


Wasim Akram:
Eleven years ago when he first played against us in Pakistan, I remember (Imran) telling us this youngster (Tendulkar) is destined for big things. Imran took an immense liking to the determined youngster and I think he (Tendulkar) has not really disappointed in fulfilling his potential. I would have loved to bowl to him in my prime say six years ago.

I could not do that because of the tense cricket relations between Pakistan and India. It is one of the biggest regrets of my cricket career. But the last time I bowled to him in a Test

Viv Richards:
I think he's marvellous. I think he will fit in whatever category of cricket that's been played or will be played, from the first ball that's ever been bowled to the last ball that's going to be. He can play in any era and at any level... What he looks to do first is to attack.

If it's not there in the groove he waits for the line and defends. Most of the time batsmen, just because it could be a fearsome fast bowler they are facing, tend to defend. But Sachin's always ready. He's always in a position to take advantage of loose balls... He has something special. He's blessed. I would say he's 99.5 per cent perfect... Even if he retires tomorrow and doesn't achieve anything more he is right there.

I have never seen Bradman but heard people talk about him. But I tell you what, if Bradman could bat like this man does then he was dynamite. Players like Sachin deserve to be preserved in cotton wool.